You Never Know Where NeXt Steps May Lead

There was no way it was good timing for me. I was trying to finish my bachelor’s degree while working three part-time jobs, being involved at church, and trying to help my family on the family farm. But God’s timing is different and always best. If I was being completely honest and vulnerable, I was filling my life with busy things to try to distract myself two things: the sadness of watching all my friends get married and start their families, and a general lethargy in my walk with the Lord. Outwardly I still went to church and participated in church events. I always participated in family worship and deftly did my private devotions in the morning, but there was zero fire. I was discouraged. I had a desire to become a foreign missionary, but after some discouraging years with my health and my work life I was just worn out.

Our church was between pastors at the time, so we had many guest pastors coming in. Some of those were RPGM missionaries who then shared about their upcoming work in the countries they were going to. As I was collecting microphones as part of my role of running the sound system, I caught the attention of one of the presenters. Throughout that conversation they mentioned this new program of RPGM called NeXtSteps. I was interested, but I just shook it off as a “well. . .maybe someday when I don’t have to keep up my current façade.”

However, God had other plans. That missionary then reached out to my elders to put me in contact with NeXtSteps. When I found out, my first thought was, “Well, my secret of wanting to be a missionary is out!” That was exactly what I needed. I needed that push. I needed that reassurance that God is the one directing my steps, that I’m not the one in control.

So, I started the NeXtSteps program. What I found was amazing. I found others with a love for the nations. I found encouragement and a challenge. The lessons made me think. In fact, in the first lesson invoves a lot of self-reflection and answering where you think you are in different aspects of your walk with the Lord. Yikes! That was one of the hardest things for me to do. I had tried to fill my life so full that I couldn’t have the time for silence or reflection, but this forced me to do that. I had to come to the honest reaction—that I had become quite distracted in my walk with the Lord. NeXtSteps gave me better questions to ask, better ways to study, more love for the nations, and a change in how I live my life.

The three years of NeXtSteps went by very quickly, followed by a very quick four months in South Sudan. That was several years ago, but those lessons have stuck with me and have changed my life direction drastically. I still get to see the impact of NeXtSteps in my life and my home. Am I living in South Sudan as a missionary? No. I am married now, and God has me and my husband working in missions here in the United States. I get the opportunity to work for RP Global Missions, and my husband gets to work with men coming out of recovery, homelessness, or prison. We get to serve in our local church together and run the ECHO missions trip every summer. Is this the life I thought I would have when I first started NeXtSteps? No. But God used that time to help prepare me for my current life, and I know he will continue to use it in the future.